“I can’t remember the last time we sat down to a real family meal.” Hana’s never been comfortable with silence.
“Really?” Pepper frowns, talking with her mouth full. “What do you do?”
Hana takes another bite of the creamy sweet potatoes and shrugs. “I usually order takeout or grab a falafel off a food truck. This is really good.”
“What about your mom? Doesn’t she have dinner with you?”
“Pepper.” Hutch’s low voice contains a gentle scold, and she glances at him unsure.
“It’s okay.” Hana waves her hand, sipping her iced tea then quickly covering her mouth. “Mm–that’s sweet!”
“Ms. Lurlene makes the best sweet tea.” Pepper bounces in her seat, grabbing her glass and taking a large gulp. “I help her. She uses two cups of sugar for a pitcher of brewed tea.”
“I’ll remember that.” Hana nods. “My mother drinks champagne for dinner.”
Pepper pauses, confused. “How does that work?”
“It doesn’t.” I cut in quickly, shooting Hana a stern look.
My sister quickly lowers her forkful of meat and puts her hands in her lap, looking down.
Pepper hops up on her knees, reaching for a pink cupcake from the center of the table. “It’s okay. I always get in trouble when I talk too. Cupcake?”
She holds it out to Hana, who gives her a little smile, taking it. “Thanks.”
Pepper grabs another, and while the two share cupcakes, I turn to Hutch.
“Lurlene made all this?” He nods, chewing a bite of roast. “I’m sorry if she’s having to do more work with us here. Tomorrow, I can try to find us a place to stay–”
“No! She's excited you’re here!” Pepper answers before Hutch even takes a breath. “She said it’s about time Uncle Hutch had a woman in the house, and she kept smiling and adding stuff to the grocery list.”
My eyes widen, and Hutch’s voice rises in volume. “Blake and Hana are staying with us for a case. It’s strictly business. Nothing more.”
Pepper’s eyebrows rise, and she finishes her last bite of cake, swaying side to side in her chair. “I don’t know where Lurlene gets her info, but that’s not how it sounds…”
“Pepper, enough.” Hutch’s tone is fierce, and he gives me a glance I have never seen on that broody face before. Is he apologetic? “Time for bed. Take your plate to the kitchen.”
So he does have a weakness. Hana is sitting quietly now, and I’ve eaten as much as I can, completely finishing my luscious sweet potatoes.
Placing my napkin beside my plate, I stand. “Thank you for this delicious dinner, and for the lovely accommodations.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Hutch’s tone is all business again as he stands. “I’ll tell Lurlene you enjoyed dinner–and clear up any confusion about why you’re here.”
I hesitate, trying to decide if I should tell him it’s not that big of a deal. Ultimately, I see Hana waiting and give him a nod. “Good night.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
We won’t, I decide silently.
We’re back in our room, and Hana is lying on the double bed across from mine. The French doors along the balcony are open, and the sound of crickets is deafening. The musty scent of damp trees drifts in on the humid breeze, and it all mixes together, taking me back to a time so long ago when I was very young, before the trouble started.
Hutch was different tonight at dinner. His shield was lowered, and he seemed almost human. I haven’t forgotten what an arrogant bully he can be, and I haven’t forgotten my vow to make him pay for ruining my life, for enabling the damage that took place after I was shipped off to boarding school.
At the same time, seeing him tonight with Pepper got to me. He revealed a side I didn’t know existed.
“Pepper’s cute.” Hana holds a satin pillow, and I glance at her lying on her back, tracing her finger along the stitching. “I used to want a little sister.”
“She’s got a lot of personality.” I lift the quilt on my bed, frowning at how thin it is in the cool night air drifting around us. “Are you cold?”
“Not really. You could close the doors.”
I like them open, the sounds, the scents… “I’ll find us some thicker blankets. Be right back.”
I’ve washed my face and changed into gray sleep shorts and a black tank. My long hair is pulled up in a ponytail on the top of my head, and my feet are bare on the soft wood floors and even softer rugs.
I check closet after closet on our floor with no luck. The lights are off downstairs, so I decide to slip down and try to find a blanket in the living room. I’m sure I saw one on the ivory sofa.
Creeping softly across the living room, I’m disappointed to find nothing. This is ridiculous. He has to have more blankets somewhere in this house. Inspecting my outfit, I decide I’m decent, and he said to let him know if I needed anything.
“Hutch?” I call softly, tapping on the heavy wooden door.
Pepper has school tomorrow, so I don’t want to disturb the house. I don’t get an answer, so I place my hand on the doorknob, and the door gently falls open a crack. Peeking my head around the barrier, I see his wood-paneled room is bathed in yellow light from a bedside lamp.
My eyes catch on the small statue of a knight in real chain mail on a horse. It reminds me of a similar statue that once belonged to my dad, and I file the thought away.
A navy comforter is on his king-sized bed, but no blankets. Surely he has some hidden somewhere. I just need him to show me where.
“Hutch?” I call again, tiptoeing farther into the room.
I’m all the way in when the sound of water streaming meets my ears. My lips part when I realize he’s in the shower, and my heart beats faster when I see the bathroom door is open.
I should go back to my room or wait in the living room. Yes, that would be the right thing to do. I’ve made up my mind to do just that when a low groan freezes me in place.
“Fuck, yeah…” Another groan, and my jaw drops.
I creep forward, unable to stop myself. Is a woman in the shower with him? And if one is, why am I unreasonably furious about it? Hutch Winston doesn’t belong to me.
Another, deeper moan sends me closer, and my hand touches the bathroom door. It opens a bit more, giving me a full view of Hutch in the shower, completely nude, and alone.
His head is bowed, dark hair falling over his temples, as his biceps flex and his fist pumps vigorously between his legs. He’s leaning forward, bracing the wall with his hand, and his back is a lined wall of tense muscle.
My lips fall open as I watch, as wetness floods my core, and I’m breathing faster. Deep red and black tattoos I didn’t know he had ripple on his back and arms. He’s pumping faster, solid muscles flexing as water traces every line in his perfect body down to his tight, sculpted ass.
I’m hypnotized by the sight, and hot all over.
“Fuck,” he groans again, and his hips start to rock.
Oh, God, I can’t breathe. I imagine those hips rocking at my back, pumping into me.
His fist moves faster, and every muscle in his body flexes beautifully as he breaks, groaning seductively, milking his cock.